Harry Redknapp lied to News of the World reporter, tax evasion trial hears

Harry Redknapp fought back tears to deny telling a ‘pack of lies’ on the second day of him taking the stand at his tax evasion trial.

Harry Redknapp denies two counts of cheating the public revenue (Picture: PA)

In emotional scenes at Southwark crown court jurors heard the Tottenham Hotspur manager say he was insulted to be accused of lying by prosecution barrister John Black QC.

‘You think I put my hand on the bible and told lies? That’s an insult, Mr Black, that’s an insult,’ he shouted as his cross-examination ended.

The 63-year-old’s voice trembled as he insisted: ‘Everything I have told you is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God.’

Earlier the court had heard Mr Redknapp admit to lying to a News of the World journalist in order to get him ‘out [of] the way’.

Rob Beasley phoned Mr Redknapp on the eve of the League Cup final against Manchester United in 2009 about the £189,000 deposited in the offshore Monaco bank account at the heart of the trial.

At the time the football boss told the reporter the account was made up of bonus payments over the sale of Peter Crouch from Portsmouth to Aston Villa.

But Mr Redknapp’s defence now rests on the fact that the money was an investment and not a bonus payment from his co-accused Milan Mandaric, his former chairman at Portsmouth.

‘I don’t have to tell Mr Beasley the truth. I have to tell police the truth, not Mr Beasley, he’s a News of the World reporter,’ Mr Redknapp said.

‘I just didn’t want a story in the paper – I was going to come down to breakfast and all my players were going to be looking at the back page of the News of the World,’ Mr Redknapp said. ‘It was going to be embarrassing.’

When questioned further on whether he had inadvertently let slip the true nature of the bank account Mr Redknapp hit back by asking the prosecutor whether he thought he was ‘that stupid’ to have a different story from Mr Mandaric.

Milan Mandaric arriving at Southwark crown court (Picture: PA)

‘I’m the most ungreedy [sic] person you have ever met in your whole life, ever,’ Mr Redknapp, who admits signing off on a six-figure bank transfer between Monaco and Mr Mandaric’s US account in 2003, said.

Mr Redknapp has already said he was preoccupied with an upcoming game with Manchester United and specifically David Beckham at the time and neither the account nor the transfer was on his mind.

‘I only asked Mr Mandaric once about the account – the away win at Blackburn [in 2004],’ he claimed.

‘He said ‘Disaster, Harry’ – I didn’t ask again.’

Mr Redknapp, once touted as a future England boss, said the account was not secret with both Portsmouth players and FA transfer bung investigators on the Quest inquiry being aware of it.

John Kelsey-Fry QC has now closed the case for the defence by reading out a letter from an undisclosed witness.

The letter detailed how Mr Redknapp invited a wheelchair-bound former Tottenham Hotspur player to come and watch a training session.

The letter said: ‘How considerate and kind is that? I would say it is confirmation he is a giver, not a taker.’

The prosecution closing speech is expected to take place tomorrow.

Mr Redknapp, 64, of Poole, Dorset, and Mr Mandaric, 73, Oadby, Leicestershire, deny two counts of cheating the public revenue when Mr Redknapp was manager of Portsmouth.

The first charge alleges that between April 1 2002 and November 28 2007 Mr Mandaric paid $145,000 (£93,100) into the account, while the second charge for same offence relates to $150,000 (£96,300) allegedly paid between May 1 2004 and November 28 2007.